RaboDirect PRO12: Connacht see off Zebre on opening weekend

Connacht got the new season off to a promising start as they beat Zebre 25-16 at the Sportsground.

Last Updated: 09/09/13 9:46am

Dan Parks: Kicked 10 points

Tries from Nathan White, Matt Healy and Fionn Carr, coupled with 10 points from the boot of Dan Parks, ensured new coach Pat Lam got off to a winning start.

Prop White, who turned 32 on Wednesday, accepted a belated birthday present in the form of an intercept try as he sent Connacht ahead in the fourth minute.

Luciano Orquera replied with a penalty but Connacht pushed 12-3 in front when Healy scored a classy converted try on the half hour.

Parks added three more points to Connacht's tally before half-time, as their scrum continued to impress.

Zebre improved on the restart with Luciano Orquera kicking two penalties to one from Parks, before Connacht got their counter-attacking game going and Carr flew in for their third try.

The visitors added a deserved consolation score from Luca Redolfini in the final minute, despite losing fellow replacement Matteo Pratichetti to the sin-bin.

Full-back Dion Berryman, one of five debutants in the Italians' starting line-up, tested out Robbie Henshaw's defence before Connacht seized an early lead.

White was alert to a quickly-taken Zebre line-out, intercepting the throw to canter in from 25 metres out. Parks' conversion attempt went wide.

Orquera closed the gap to 5-3 after Connacht were pinged for not rolling away and amid a scrappy error-strewn start, Parks missed two penalties set up by Connacht's forceful maul and scrum.

The game lulled along until Parks spread play intelligently with a skip pass in the 29th minute, Carr came in off his wing and linked superbly with fellow winger Healy who shimmied and then beat his man on the outside.

Parks' kicking radar was bang on target from the touchline conversion, the seven points lifting Connacht's confidence and their forwards took their cue.

The westerners turned over a Zebre scrum with George Naoupu doing well to control possession at the base, and that good work led to a first successful penalty from Parks and a 15-3 interval lead.

Discipline

Zebre had done very little wrong in defence, working hard and maintaining their shape and discipline for the most part.

An instinctive break from 13-times capped All Black Leonard also gave a glimpse of their attacking potential.

The Italian outfit opened the scoring in the second half, winning a scrum penalty which Orquera stuck over with six minutes gone.

The territory swung in improving Zebre's favour during the third quarter, the tension increasing for the home support in the 4,083 crowd as Orquera cut Connacht's lead to six points.

Parks snapped back three points as Lam looked to his bench, with young Kiwi Jake Heenan making his mark with a couple of useful turnovers.

Man-of-the-match Henshaw and pacey replacements Tiernan O'Halloran and Paul O'Donohoe also lifted the province late on, the latter releasing Carr for his 75th minute try just to the right of the posts.

Parks and Gonzalo Garcia had missed penalty attempts before that and Pratichetti's sin-binning for foul play left Zebre with 14 men for the closing seven minutes.

Park's conversion took Connacht 25-9 clear before reserve prop Redolfini rumbled over for a try his team's second half efforts merited.